Wiz Khalifa sentenced to hard time in Romanian prison

Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison after lighting up a marijuana cigarette during a festival performance in Romania.

Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison in Romania after a court concluded a drug case related to his 2024 music festival performance in which he lit a marijuana cigarette on stage.

The Constanta Court of Appeal ruled on December 18, overturning a previous ruling that had only fined the rapper around $700.

Romanian prosecutors have successfully appealed under a law that criminalizes personal possession of dangerous drugs. The incident occurred in the summer of 2024, when the Pittsburgh-born artist was briefly detained after smoking marijuana during a Romanian festival.

Authorities released him shortly after, but legal proceedings continue.

Romania enforces some of the toughest anti-drug laws in Europe. While countries such as Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands have reduced penalties for small-scale possession of cannabis, Romania still treats such crimes as a criminal offense, even for personal consumption.

The Romanian court clarified that the case only concerned possession and not distribution or trafficking.

Wiz Khalifa has long been outspoken about his marijuana use, incorporating it into his music and public persona. Tracks like his 2011 hit “Black and Yellow” and his mixtape “Kush + Orange Juice” have become synonymous with his cannabis-friendly image.

He released the sequel to the mixtape in 2025, fifteen years after the original release. Despite the ruling, the rapper remains in the United States.

Romania and the United States do have an extradition treaty, but according to the U.S. State Department, extradition is not automatic but depends on several factors, including dual criminality and prosecutorial discretion.

Unless Khalifa travels to the country where the Romanian arrest warrant is executed, it is unlikely that he will be forced to serve his sentence.

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